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New figures from the State's property regulatory site suggest that this year is
already ahead of last year, and is on course for more transactions over the full
12 months.

The first five months of 2013 saw just under 8,500 transactions notified to the
Property Services Regulatory Authority, of which 2,777 were in Dublin.

The number of sales and purchases is already 13pc ahead of the same period last
year, according to an analysis of the authority's figures by chief economist at
stockbroking firm Investec Philip O'Sullivan.

The surge in transactions is despite the fact that first-time buyers who bought
last year got mortgage tax relief, which has since been withdrawn.

A comprehensive picture of the habits, behaviours
and opinions of Irish students is provided in a new survey based on 4,000
responses, from north and south of the border.

The campus.ie National Student Survey covers a wide range of matters about
college and life itself, from course choices, quality of lecturers and exam
cheating to sex, sexuality and smoking.

The mainly 18- to 23-year-olds are attending universities, institutes of
technology and other third-level colleges as well as colleges of further
education. Among the findings were that 29pc smoke, 49pc have never taken
illegal drugs, 50pc have smoked marijuana and 9pc have used cocaine.

Ulster Bank, which announced the closure of 22 branches earlier this year,
yesterday announced its intention to close up to 40 more in its plan to become a
“smaller, lower-cost and profitable bank”.

The bank, which announced 950 job losses in January 2012, said a further 350
positions will be lost as a result of the decision to close more branches but
these would be achieved through natural attrition. Other sources speculated up
to 850 positions could be lost, by way of natural attrition, under the
development.

Of the 900 job losses announced in January 2012 , 600 were in the Republic. The
bank was not in a position yesterday to say how many of the new job losses would
be in Northern Ireland, and how many in the Republic.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is going to court to block Irish-owned
Ardagh’s $1.7 billion (€1.3 billion) acquisition of Verallia, a US-based
division of French manufacturer St Gobain, agreed earlier this year.

In an affidavit filed with the federal courts, the FTC warns that the deal will
cut the number of big players in the market for beer and spirit bottles to two
from three, making it easier for the remaining pair to co-ordinate on price and
other terms “to achieve supra-competitive prices or other anti-competitive
outcomes”.

Commenting on the end of June returns, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan and
the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin said that despite
the on-target performance, with “borrowing in excess of €1 billion each month we
must continue with our efforts to reduce the deficit to below 3 per cent of GDP
by 2015.”

“The question is whether the ECB is willing to give as explicit forward-guidance
as the Fed by, for example, quantifying targets (or target zones) for
unemployment and inflation.

“We don’t think so. In our view, Draghi will try to give ECB-style guidance on
the fragility of the recovery, on full allotment until the summer of 2014, and
on the ECB’s determination to do more if need be. This should push any exit
speculation into the distant future,” said Mr Brzeski.

Economic growth across the eurozone remains very weak, despite the ECB lowering
the main interest rate to an historically low 0.5%.

Mr Draghi has highlighted the fragmented banking system in the region. Banks,
particularly in the periphery, including Ireland’s, continue to struggle with
bad debts, which is putting a block on the transmission of credit.

The landmark CHQ building in the IFSC was sold by
the Dublin Docklands Development Authority yesterday as it was revealed that
over €100m of commercial property has changed hands in Ireland each month so far
this year.

“Initially our focus will be to make some demonstrable improvements within the
building as we work through the plan to recreate CHQ,” he said.

The deal is one of 36 so far this year that has seen over €100m a month poured
into the Irish commercial property sector.

CBRE tracked sales of units in Ireland in the first six months of the year. The
total value of sales was €610m.

Europe

Presseurop: Common Agricultural Policy reforms
unveiled in June have not come up to expectations, believes the head of the Slow
Food movement. Member states have too much leeway and reforms fail to
sufficiently promote sustainability and reduce inequalities between operators.

Carlo Petrini
writes in German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: Are we united in
diversity, or are we diverse in our unity? The Brussels negotiations on the new
Common Agricultural Policy, the CAP, are wrapping up. While the agreement does
introduce some interesting novelties, it comes as a disappointment to those who
care about the environment and sustainable small-scale farming. Above all,
though, it raises questions about Europe. It questions our perspectives – those
that we share, and those that we do not.

This reform, which ought to have promoted the quality of our food, the return –
possible and desirable – of new generations to the land, and the safeguarding of
the environment, has missed out on an historic opportunity. It has sparked
unprecedented debate and encouraged civil society and involved associations to
make their demands heard with force and clarity. And for the first time, the
European Parliament has stepped in to give a voice to citizens.

However, to a large extent the decisions that would put in place a greener and
fairer agricultural policy, capable of pumping public funds (40 per cent of the
European Union budget) into public goods such as landscapes, soil quality and
human health, have not been taken, or have been left to the discretion of the
member states.

Euro Topics: After media reports about spying
activities of the US intelligence services in EU offices, the European Union is
checking its facilities for bugging devices. The European Commission has
demanded speedy explanations from the US. Some commentators say Europe should
stand up to America, while others urge it to stick to the plans for a free trade
agreement despite everything.

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding on Monday cast doubts on the upcoming
negotiations for a trade agreement between the US and the EU, saying that a free
trade zone would be unthinkable if the US's spying activities continued. The
liberal Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter calls for a pragmatic outlook here:
"Only yesterday the new Eurostat figures on unemployment came out. The economies
of both partners remain unstable; they need the boost a free trade agreement
would bring. … Even if the anger of certain European countries is
understandable, it would be a pity if the negotiations were broken off because
of the scandal. The European Commission is aware of this so the question is
whether Reding's threats are much more than empty phrases. Hopefully not. … The
revelations are an unwelcome diplomatic scandal. But both partners stand to gain
if the planned free trade agreement goes ahead."

Europe needs to be more resolute and self-confident in its attitude towards the
US, the state-run Austrian liberal daily Wiener Zeitung demands: "Europe
must insist on absolutely watertight data protection in the transatlantic trade
agreement - now subject to negotiation after the most recent revelations. In a
world dominated by imperial power blocks like the US, China and Russia, the
countries of Europe will only be able to hold their own if they work together
and stop relying on the US's military and intelligence services. Particularly
since, in the Snowden affair, the US appears to have more in common with Russia
than with the Europeans, preoccupied as they are about their private sphere.
Europe should have offered Snowden asylum - that would have been the proper
response to the attack on America's and Europe's interests."

Portugal's Finance Minister Vítor Gaspar has resigned owing to the dwindling
support for his controversial austerity drive. His resignation, which was
confirmed on Monday, is tantamount to a death sentence for the government, the
Portuguese business daily Diário Económico writes: "His departure at this
point, under these circumstances and for these reasons, is a bad omen. For he is
responsible for the recovery of the country's credibility with the markets and
the creditors. No one can deny him this achievement. ... Gaspar frankly admitted
his inability to bring the agreement with the troika to a conclusion. He did
this because he had lost all credibility and trust - even that of the troika.
... At a time when there are many doubts about the ability of the government to
implement the necessary reforms, Gaspar has made it clear that he doesn't
believe it will succeed. And in doing so [the government's] death certificate
has been signed."

A new round of negotiations between the Greek government and representatives of
the troika on the next €8.1bn instalment of the bailout has been in progress
since Monday. The points under discussion include the dismissal of a large
number of civil servants and the introduction of more flexible working hours.
The left-liberal Greek daily Eleftherotypia criticises that the government
always bows to the will of the troika: "In a country that belongs to the
Eurozone, meaning it forms part of the EU's core, Bob Traa, the representative
of the International Monetary Fund in Greece, wants to destroy the very
foundations of Europe's labour laws. ... The problem is that in the end the
troika always manages to push through its demands. One way or another any topic
it puts on the table becomes Greek law. A major factor here is the government's
inability to negotiate effectively and define limits that can't be overstepped.